§ Captain Hewitsonasked the Minister of Food if he will give details of the foodstuffs at present being subsidised; the estimated current annual rate of each subsidy; and the increase in price of each commodity which would result from abolition of these subsidies.
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§ Mr. StracheyFollowing is the information. The foodstuffs at present
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Commodity Unit Estimated Subsidy 1949–50 £m's. Current Average Retail Price per Unit Subsidy per Unit Price per Unit if not subsidy s. d. s. d. s. d. Bacon per lb. 30.2 2 3 1 2 3 5 (a) Bread per 3½ lb. loaf (c)64.1 11 6 1 5 (a) Flour per 7 lb. 35.5 1 9 1 1½ 2 10½ Shell Eggs per dozen 30.7 3 0 1 3¼ 4 3¼ Carcase Meat per lb. 40.8 1 5 3 1 8 Milk per quart 51.3 10 2½ 1 0½ (b) Butter per lb. 53.3 1 6 1 6 3 0 (b) Cheese per lb. 25.2 1 2 1 0¾ 2 2¾ Margarine per lb. 16.0 10 4½ 1 2½ Lard and Cooking Fat per lb. 5.6 1 0 3½ 1 3½ (a) Potatoes per 7 lb. 14.7 10 2 1 0 Sugar per lb. 8.1 5 1 6 Tea per lb. 15.0 3 4 8½ 4 0½ Fish 4.0 Sundries [Credit] 32.2 Total 362.3 Welfare Foods Milk-in-Schools 9.0 National Milk Scheme 22.0 Vitamin Foods and National Dried Milk 6.1 Animal Feeding Stuffs 36.7 Fertilisers 15.0 Loss on Potatoes bought under guarantee 11.5 462.6 (a) Includes acreage payments. (b) Includes subsidy on manufacturing milk. (c) Includes £8.4 m. subsidy payable to bakers. subsidised and estimated 1949–50 rate of each subsidy: